The scurs wasted no time predicting the moderating temperatures and now they’re working on getting some rain back in the forecast. Will we get it? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs near 75 and lows around 55. Thursday, mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of an evening shower. Highs 75 – 80 and lows 60 – 65. Mostly cloudy Friday with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 75 – 80 and lows around 60. Partly cloudy on Saturday with highs near 75 and lows dipping to 55. Clear skies on Sunday with highs of 80 and lows of 60. Partly cloudy Monday with a chance of an evening shower. Highs once again near 80 and lows of 60. Warmer and a chance of showers under partly cloudy skies for Tuesday. Highs of 85 and lows near 60. The normal high for August 15th is 82 and the normal low is 59. We slip to under 14 hours of daylight for the first time since April 26th. The scurs think this may be the catalyst we need to spur on the chances for some of those April showers.
The Full Moon for the month will occur on August 13th and is known by several names. The fishing tribes of the Great Lakes called this the Full Sturgeon Moon as this was the time of year these large fish were most easily caught. It was also known as the Full Red Moon as the moon tended to be red from all the haze in the air when it rose. It also goes by The Green Corn Moon and The Full Grain Moon. The Ojibwe called this the Full Berry Moon as blueberries were ripe for the picking. The Sioux called this The Moon When Geese Shed Their Feathers. Judging by the number seen roaming area lawns, my guess is they’re shedding more than feathers.
Crop progress continues at a breakneck pace with some corn already in the milk stage. More pollination issues are evident although there are probably more issues due to tip back related to lack of precipitation locally. Soybeans are huge with numerous fields containing plants 4’ tall. They look nice but with the heavy canopy and cooler weather comes increased risk for white mold. There are some bona fide R5 soybeans out there so that should help. Soybean aphids continue to play mind games: Will they reach treatable levels or won’t they? Those levels are all over the board with areas where soybeans were planted later getting hit hard and others slowly increasing where planting dates were earlier and maturity of the plants is advanced. Some made prophylactic insecticide applications a few weeks ago and it will be interesting to see if the aphids make an encore appearance in these fields. Reported small grain harvest woes continue the trend set last week. Poor spring wheat yields in the 30 – 40 bu./acre range and oats yields of 65 – 70 bu./acre, about half of what they were last year. Factor in lower quality on both crops and without a pretty lucrative price, it will make it easier to forget about them next year. Sweet corn harvest is underway and so far there is some optimism. If we continue this dry trend that optimism may fade quickly.
After making some initial discoveries in the garden at the ranch, decided it might be a good time over the weekend to see what other vegetables might be ready. More zucchini of course in addition to the cukes and new potatoes. One variety of snap peas rallied to produce one more picking in spite of all the heat they’d been through. They were small but still very sweet none the less. Somewhat surprisingly, the sweet corn appeared ready. It had tasseled and silked less than two weeks ago. Checked a couple ears and sure enough, nice long ears filled to the tips with plump kernels begging to be gnawed on. The sheep always like this time of year. They get the husks and silks as well as the cobs once we’re done with them. The green and yellow string beans have started to set some pods so it won’t be long and they’ll be ready. The tomatoes are coming but if this year is like most, late August and September is tomato time. Lots of fruit set and the plants are healthy as a horse.
The garden flowers are also getting geared up for the hummingbird migration. The four o’clocks are just starting to flower and the red salvia has really come on after a little watering as have the impatiens. The morning glories are climbing the pole and the hummers were seen checking out the tiger lilies one last time before they lose all their petals. The hummers like their nectar feeders to be sure however they like the real McCoy once in awhile too. We continue to host the oriole families and it is gratifying to still see the male orchard oriole occasionally. Seeing him makes me feel that all is right with the world even though the news may sometimes attempt to make one believe otherwise.
Made some time after chores last week to go see the Beach Boys concert in Albert Lea. Somehow over the years I managed to miss them at State Fair and other venues. Decided I’d probably better go see what’s left of them anyway or they’d all be dead. Oh sure, I’ve seen all kinds of “geezer bands” at the Freeborn Co. Fair such as America, BTO, and Three Dog Night, but few where one knew the words to most of the songs. In my younger days as part of a band we actually performed some of their tunes. My appreciation of their intertwined flowing harmonies is great so my attendance was a given. They performed all their wonderful oldies but they had me right away when they stopped to joke about taking an intermission along with a nap. My kind of band.
See you next week…real good then.